


The Tesseract Effect

by WinterCandyMints



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, High School AU, Teenagers, lokane - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 21:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5842129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterCandyMints/pseuds/WinterCandyMints
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jane blamed Loki. Loki blamed Tony. Tony was still laughing his head off at the ridiculous situation. When astrophysicist, Jane Foster and fallen Asgardian prince, Loki cross paths, neither of them thought they'd wind up where they are now. Jane already lived the nightmare once and now she had to do it again with him all because of a freak accident. High School.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Tony will blame it on the agents working in the lab that day. Jane will blame it on the carelessness of a particular person. Loki, being the particular person, will blame it on Tony. Who is right doesn't matter. The three of them had a situation on their hands. Well, the latter two did; Tony was merely dragged into it by them.

"This is as much as your fault as anybody's," Jane hissed at the billionaire gawking at her. "You are taking responsibility, too, and would you stop staring?" She crossed her arms over her chest, turning sideways, and let out a harsh sigh. "It's bad enough this happened. Your staring isn't helping at all."

Tony shut his mouth slowly and swallowed hard as he assessed the two individuals that used to be Dr. Jane Foster and Loki of Asgard. Jane Foster was an esteemed astrophysicist who gained his respect as she worked to build her own portable Bi-Frost. Loki was an Asgardian. That was the only thing he had going for him. Otherwise he was a fallen prince who thought he could tangle with Earth's mightiest heroes and had his butt handed to him with a side of fries. Now they weren't Dr. Jane Foster and Loki of Asgard. Now they were shorter. Jane wasn't much shorter, Tony thought with a smirk, but that was beside the point. Now the two were definitely not the right size… or age for that matter.

"What do you plan on doing to change us back, mortal?" Loki, or the short stack that was supposed to be Loki, spat.

Tony glared at him. He was Loki alright – same black hair, albeit shorter; same green eyes; same narrow, pale face. The only difference was that he was now smaller and his frame had shrunken; barely any muscle definition – if there was any before, there definitely wasn't any now. "This isn't exactly my fault, Reindeer Games." For some reason now that Loki looked younger, the nickname didn't give him the same sense of amusement it used to. Now it felt empty, almost forced. Loki didn't look like Loki – he looked like the lovechild of Loki. Tony narrowed his eyes, really studying him now. Who would the mother of that be?

"Tony, this isn't the time to place blame."

He looked over to the once renowned astrophysicist turned awkward. And that was the only word for it. Loki, though barely, still looked like himself. Jane on the other hand was close to unrecognizable. Hair that was usually neat and straight, now shot out in a mess of tangles, and was in desperate need of a brush. Set a bit down her nose were a big pair of round glasses that obscured most of her face. Tony noticed she barely opened her mouth when she spoke, but when she did he would see flashes of silver.

Her confidence was there, but it was a sliver of what it once was. Where she used to radiate self-assurance, now she hunched over, curling inward as if she meant to close in on herself.

"This is a perfect time to place blame," Loki muttered. "Let's not forget who was in the lab with the Tesseract."

Jane shot daggers into the side of his head. "Are you seriously blaming this on me? Me? I was doing my job and then you, you egoistical maniac, came into _my_ lab-"

Her words were cut off in a gasp as cold fingers gripped her throat in a binding vice. Loki's arm had shot out and now his eyes bore into hers menacingly. "I may not be the same strength as before," he hissed through clenched teeth. "but I can still crush your windpipe like a twig if you don't shut your mouth."

"Hey!" Tony grabbed Loki's shoulder and shoved him aside, stepping protectively in front of Jane. "Keep your hands to yourself. Just because you reverted into an even bigger whiny, irrationally emotional brat doesn't mean you can go around strangling girls that hurt your feelings." He said the last few words especially mockingly as he stared down the god. Actually, he stared up – Loki, though shorter, still had a few inches on the short billionaire.

Loki broke eye contact first. His attention was drawn to a tiny gasp behind Tony. He watched Jane as she touched her neck delicately, her face tense with fear. His eyes flickered back to Tony. The man was glaring. He sighed. This wasn't getting him anywhere closer to becoming the right age. "I'll behave." He said that, yet he couldn't help the large grin and playful tone of his words, making them seem insincere. Not that they weren't; he only wanted to get through this awkward situation faster.

Tony pulled back minutely, still on high alert. "How did this happen?" he mumbled under his breath.

/

* * *

/

The blue cube hadn't shown any signs of activity for days. Jane held back a groan as she watched the inactive cube resting placidly, carelessly, _mockingly_ on its pedestal. Her scientific dream. A cube that could do anything. Or so she was told. Now she had to figure out all the ins and outs that made it so it could accomplish such feats. The only problem – the start to many more – was that it decided to remain stoic. Just her luck – S.H.I.E.L.D. finally gave her the green light for studying the scientific find of the century, the millennium, and it decided to shut her out. Jane smiled a bit at that. The cube couldn't shut her out; it's not as if it was sentient. She furrowed her brow. That may not be entirely true. As she recalled, the cube reacted more when in the presence of Asgardians. Thor had told her that the Tesseract was from Asgard, which would explain why it seemed to become more energetic when with people from there. Too bad Thor wasn't around – Jane wasn't sure where he went; she hadn't seen him all day.

She bit back her frustrations and focused more on the data from earlier readings. The data didn't lie; the cube's energy levels spiked whenever an Asgardian was near. Jane tried not to focus too much on just who that Asgardian was or the fact that he was a mere few doors down. Not really 'a few doors,' but he was in the proximity and that alone raised the hair on her neck. She vaguely wondered if he was too busy to help her with her data by standing near the cube, but that idea was immediately squashed. It not only frightened her, it was all around a bad idea to have him anywhere near the cube. Even if he did cause it to react. Thor could get it to react, too. But, where was he? Jane swiveled her neck to scan the lab as if he would appear at any minute. Nope. She went back to intently studying the cube.

/

* * *

/

Loki sat on the bed provided in his 'cell' as his eyes skimmed his surroundings once more. This glass containment was similar to his previous one, but there were alterations that, though unnoticeable to a mortal eye, he could pick out easily. The floors were reinforced with stronger metal alloys. Running along the edges were bolts the size of a mortal fist and the glass was substantially thicker. He almost laughed at the foolishness in it all; nothing the mortals created could truly hold him – if he remained prisoner it was because he chose to. The only restraint holding him from shattering the glass and stepping out free was the air lock resting precariously below him like a slumbering troll he was hesitant to awaken. Tiresome was the only way to describe the situation. S.H.I.E.L.D. was relocating him and the Tesseract while they studied it, and someone's harebrained idea was to transfer both of them on the same helicarrier. If Loki didn't know better, he would have thought it was his own scheme in the making. Unfortunately, he couldn't take credit for this. Somewhere there was an idiot spewing ruinous plans that worked in Loki's favor. He would have to thank that idiot.

Gratitude would have to wait. For now he had to escape from this glass box without disturbing the slumbering burden beneath him. That was when things became tricky; he was entirely unsure how to begin. Maybe he could trick Thor into opening the door. A smirk lit his face as he remembered Thor falling for a similar trick the previous time he was in a glass container. How many times could he get Thor to fall for that? No. That wouldn't work this time. The trick had been done. If he played it again, he would lose his advantage of unpredictability. Something else, there had to be something else he could use to escape. Once freed, he'd make his way to the lab where he knew scientists were busy studying the many secrets they'd never get from the Tesseract, and easily pluck it from them like candy from babies. Then he would… then he would…

Loki sat up a bit straighter. What would he do? Grab the Tesseract and then? What? He stilled as he sorted through the possibilities. There were too many. He didn't exactly have a follow-through plan, but he could work out details after obtaining the Tesseract. Right now he had to find the way out of his confinement. An oddity caught his attention. He turned his head to see what it was. A smile spread across his face. One of the bolts was half a centimeter out of place. He had suspicion that his idiot was also in charge of creating his prison.

/

* * *

/

Jane was on her computer, looking over the data, when the door slid open. She looked up, but no one was in the entrance. It closed silently. She didn't think too much of it. Chalked it up to her mind playing tricks on her after being cooped up for so long. There have been similar moments of uncertainty as she studied the Cube. Once she was so entranced in her work, she nearly jabbed a fellow scientist's – _Robert's?_ – throat out when he startled her. Turning back to her computer, she continued scanning over the files. Again she was leafing through the dates from when Loki traveled through the Cube into their world. She couldn't focus. Something about the air felt wrong. The room suddenly felt smaller, more cramped even though she knew she was alone. She looked over at the Cube and nearly had a heart attack. Standing behind it, bathed in its unearthly glow was Loki.

Her breath caught in her throat. "L… Lo…"

Loki looked up from studying the Tesseract and grinned. He could have kept himself invisible; he was when he opened the entrance to the lab. He was intent on staying invisible. It had been his whole plan. However, when he saw Jane clacking away on her keyboard, he had the sudden desire to see her panic. It wasn't much. It would be a tiny bit of mischief, but after being locked up for a few weeks, he was more than entitled to some.

"Jane Foster," he spoke her name slowly, keeping his voice low. "Brilliant scientist. Now you're reduced to providing your services to a blundering idiot."

If she was afraid that last comment sapped the fear clean out of her and quickly replaced it with searing anger. "Excuse you?" she seethed between clenched teeth. "Who gave you the right to criticize me?"

Loki's eyes widened, but before it became noticeable, he stopped. He outwardly wore a snarl, but on the inside, he was smiling at her sudden false bravado. There was fire in her, one he hadn't noticed through the eyes of the Destroyer. She had a fire in her and he wanted to be the one to put it out. Watch the light die in her eyes, watch her spirit be crushed. Make Thor watch. He almost smiled at the thought, but caught himself. "Who gave me the right?" he spat. He was about to continue when the doors to the lab slid open with a completely assembled Iron Man suit most likely harboring Tony Stark in the doorway.

"Step away from the cube," Tony warned as he held up his hands, which were already beginning to glow. His head turned minutely towards Jane as he added, "And the astrophysicist."

Time was up. Now wasn't the time for taunting. Loki had to move. On instinct, he pushed Jane out of the way and lunged for the cube, his hand already locking around it.

Tony fired at Loki.

The Asgardian pulled out of the way, but heat scorched his hand. Blue erupted all around, engulfing him and Jane. He hit the ground, beginning to feel sharp pains rack his body. The pain, the horrible, searing pain was manageable. He tried, with every bit of conscious thought to shove away the pain into the back of his mind, but found he could not. It was strong and persistent, and every cell in his body felt as if it were screaming. Only a short moment, but in that moment, fire and hot flashes of lightning crackled through his nerves. Then it stopped. He blacked out.

Tony cursed under his breath as he lifted himself off the ground. The blast threw him into the doors, but the suit took the brunt of the impact. Smoke billowed in clouds around the room, obscuring his vision. As he stared into the haze, his eyes caught sight of two shadowy figures sprawled out on the ground and next to them a faint blue glow. "Jane," he called as he rushed over. When he approached the two figures, he realized something was wrong. The haze thinned and soon he could make out long, brown hair splayed on the ground. "Jane." He knelt beside her body and had Jarvis read him her vitals. Heart rate: normal; breathing: normal. Everything was checking out until Jarvis told him something alarming. "Sir, her hormones have significantly increased. Her body seems to have reverted into more of a teenage system."

Tony quickly moved her hair from her face and jolted back. That was not Dr. Jane Foster's face. That was a younger version of Dr. Jane's Foster face, but awkward times one-hundred. Someone groaned behind him. Now he could see where Loki landed a few feet away and that certainly wasn't the God of Mischief he was used to seeing. A boy, who looked like he should be in high school, laid on his side with his pale, narrow face and familiar cheek bones visible to Tony. He cursed under his breath again.

/

* * *

/

"And that, Cyclops, is how your leading researcher and number one prisoner were turned into teeny brats," Tony concluded as he finished telling Nick Fury what happened.


	2. Moving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: Coulson is not dead in this. I'm not doing that 'he died, now he's back' situation. This is simply, Coulson lived. Yadda, yadda, whatever.

 

Jane blamed Loki. Loki blamed Tony. Tony didn't care whose fault it was – this was hilarious. Nick Fury's expression was well worth whatever damage this whole mess had on the SHIELD laboratories. The bruised ego of a comic book villain-warlord was a bonus. He would have preferred if Jane had not gotten the resulting effects – Loki deserved it – but the two standing side-by-side as a set were too ridiculously outlandish for him not to enjoy their humiliation.

"Have you informed Thor?" Jane, or the shorter, frizzier teenager who was supposed to be Jane, asked, arms crossed awkwardly across her flat chest.

Tony held back a snort as he said, "Yeah, Point Break really wants to hear about his girlfriend suddenly becoming illegal for him." He eyed Loki, mentally shrugged, figuring in this form, the short stack was much less of a threat and made the joke, "Although, you, Severous Snape, are the perfect age for her."

Jane let out a tiny gasp and spat, "As if." Her voice, Tony noted, lost some of its usual formality, and he began to wonder if it had anything to do with her current age.

Loki narrowed his eyes and shot an icy glare Tony's way, reminding him that younger didn't equal less of a threat and the teenager – to his chagrin – had a couple inches on him.

Nick cut in before things got out of hand. "All of you shut up." His eye glanced across the array of chaos before him, calculating all sorts of damage this caused. Jane Foster, astrophysicist in charge of the Cube; and Loki, an alien with a superiority complex, have both regressed into teenagers. He could feel the beginnings of a headache throb in the back of his head. "First of all, I can't have you two running around causing trouble. If word gets out that we couldn't contain Loki, and somehow let him turn himself into a teenager, no one will take this organization seriously."

"Yes, the respect you amounted now would surely blow up," Tony mocked.

Nick ignored him. "This stays between the four of us."

"What about Thor?" Jane objected. "He should know his brother was turned into a teenager."

Tony agreed, nodding. "The rest of the team should have the heads up that the freak who terrorized New York is now even more emotionally unstable."

Loki shot daggers into the man, but remained silent.

Nick relented. "Only the team can hear about this. The three of you are being held responsible for what happened. Loki, Jane," he turned to them. "Since you're teenagers, you're going to be put into a high school for the time being."

"What?" Jane exclaimed, mouth hanging loosely. "What are you thinking? You can't place Loki in a high school!"

"I agree with her. Aren't we trying to keep this mess covered up?" Tony pointed out.

"Relax, you two. Some of our scientists have been developing something to keep Loki from going berserk." Nick glared at the one in question, who seemed to find the suggestion amusing. He added, "Thor helped create it."

Loki stopped chuckling and straightened up, looking paler if that was possible. "Keep your Midgardian trash away from me," he hissed. His threatening tone went ignored.

"You still can't put him in a high school. There are children there," Jane reasoned, not convinced this plan was any good. "Why can't you keep him here in his cage?"

"Yeah, because it held him so well the last time," Tony retorted.

"Why high school though?" Jane pressed.

"Dr. Foster, we can't have him around the SHIELD facility with the Cube. You've already seen what happened on accident."

Alright. Fair point. "But, Director Fury, why a high school?"

"That's one of the few places he'll blend in. He doesn't look like himself anymore. He looks like an average high school student."

"Average?" Loki objected.

"Sure, but what if he terrorizes students?"

"That's why you're going. You're keeping an eye on him."

Loki scoffed. Jane flummoxed.

"What? What in the world makes you think I can keep an eye on _that_?" She waved her hands towards Loki whom sneered at her gesture.

"I agree. This plan sounds horrendous." Tony cut in. "Why not just give him a free-for-all spree on the city?"

Nick turned to Tony. "You're going to watch them."

Now it was Tony's turn to look aghast. "No. No. No. _What_?"

"You and your team are going to watch them until SHIELD can get this mess sorted out."

"Why are you making me go?" Jane protested again. She could continue her research. It didn't matter she was a teenager; she still had all her experience and training.

Nick shook his head. "You're going to high school. Having you around here will only cause suspicion. And you," he turned back to Tony.

"I'm not babysitting the Elf on the Shelf," Tony spat.

"And I'm not going to high school," Jane chimed in.

Loki shrugged. "Nothing you say will convince me to go, either."

Nick stared at them. Then he grinned.

/

* * *

/

Tony was still reeling from the information Nick shared with him. After the unanimous agreement that the high school plan sucked, Nick decided to pull them one-by-one into a room. Tony was the first to be pulled inside. Once the two were sure no one else could hear them, Nick pulled out something Tony wanted nothing more than to bury deep, deep in the past. Blackmail. Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD was blackmailing them. Tony was outraged, but not shocked. Maybe even a little impressed, but ultimately he was mad. Now he was dragged into this teenage mess. He didn't need this. What he should be doing was anything, but this. He sighed, watching as Jane walked out, looking like she was going to be sick. Loki went into the room. He came out a moment later, but he didn't look any different.

"How did he…?" Jane mumbled.

"I'll go," Loki announced.

Tony wondered what dirt Nick had on those two.

"Agent Coulson will be arranging your high school applications and new home for the time being," Nick explained, hands folded behind his back. "You and the rest of the Avengers will be staying in the same apartment. If anything goes awry, you can be assured I'll know about it."

Today was going to be a long day.

Jane sat in silence next to Loki as the skyline outside her window blurred into a rush of darks. They were being escorted to their new 'home' by one of the SHIELD agents by helicopter. After Phil sorted out all the necessary paperwork and arrangements, and Loki got two restraining braces clasped around his wrists, they were sent on their way. Tony refused to accept the ride and simply used his Iron Man suit to get there. Now only the two of them and an unfamiliar SHIELD agent were holding up in the helicopter. Neither of them spoke the whole ride.

The helicopter landed on the roof of the apartment building they were to stay at.

"So much for subtly," Loki muttered, but it wasn't directed at anyone.

Jane glanced at him and then climbed out onto the roof. Tony was already waiting, standing several feet away.

"I can handle this from here," he told the SHIELD agent after Loki and Jane came to stand near him.

They waited until the helicopter was gone to speak. Tony immediately turned to them. "Screw these apartments. We're staying at my place."

Jane stared at him. "Won't someone notice when we don't check in with their apartment?"

Tony didn't seem too concerned and waved his hand. "Taken care of. I may have to babysit you kiddies, but I'm not living under Nick's roof." He pressed an area on his suit and it quickly fell from him, reverting into a portable unit. He picked it up and started walking towards the door on the roof, where Jane suspected led into the apartment building. Tony called over his shoulder, "Let's go."

Jane hesitated when Loki didn't move. "Come on," she glanced at him.

Loki didn't look at her and started walking after Tony. She didn't care that he wouldn't talk, in fact, it was a relief he kept silent this long. But, silence may be worse than talking. Silence permitted thinking and no thoughts he had could be good. Jane followed close behind him, aware of the siphoning tension between them.

/

* * *

/

Jane didn't know what to expect when Tony told them they'd be staying at his place, but even though she'd seen him and been around him a few times now, she was surprised _to be surprised_ by the sight of the mansion they would be staying in. Somewhere away from the normal houses, somewhere far from the school she and Loki were supposed to attend – Tony assured them rides – next to some beach was this mansion of a 'place' with several floors and balconies. Eight bedrooms, one for everyone as if Tony specifically made this house – _palace_ – in case of this exact situation where everyone had to gather together. The front door – more like an entrance for a giant - led into a large area with marble floors and a vaulted ceiling. Jane immediately felt intimidated by her new 'home.'

Natasha and Clint were already waiting for them inside on one of the leather couches. The two were in regular clothes – something Jane has never seen before – Natasha in a white, button-up blouse and black pencil skirt while Clint wore a purple t-shirt and pants. The two eyed them as if _they_ were the ones intruding on their home. Tony walked in front of Jane and Loki, obscuring them from view.

"All right, Stark, what is the situation Coulson told us about and why did you tell us to meet up here?" Clint demanded.

Without a word, Tony sidestepped and grinned as he watched Clint's and Natasha's faces contort into mortified shock. Natasha was the first to compose enough to speak. "What am I looking-" And then Clint cut her off.

"Are these the lovechildren of Loki and Jane?"

Jane shrieked, " _What_?"

Loki turned his face away to stifle a laugh.

Natasha's eyes widened and she really started looking them over.

Jane quickly went to reprimand this horrid accusation, "No, no, no. We _are_ Loki and Jane. _I'm_ Jane. We were turned into teenagers. We're the situation."

Natasha seemed to tense more. Clint, on the other hand, slumped into his seat, looking… was that disappointment? Jane did not want to know whatever that meant. She listened as Tony proceeded to explain the events that led up to this mess. When he finished, Natasha and Clint were both eyeing Loki intensely.

"Wait, so, you're telling me, God of Mischief, I-want-to-take-over-the-earth-kneel Loki is now a teenager? And this is him?" Clint asked, pointing at the black haired teen.

Tony nodded.

"And Fury wants us to keep an eye on him?"

"That's the basic idea, yeah. We're on babysitting duty."

"Babysitting a tyrant," Natasha muttered.

"Really, Romanoff, I promise to be on my best behavior," Loki purred, the first thing he said the whole time they've been there.

She crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat, staring at him with her brows knitted together. "Somehow, it's creepier when you're a child."

Loki only grinned unabashedly at her statement.

"How do we know he's not going to harm anyone?" Clint asked, eyeing the raven haired teen tensely.

Jane slipped a glance to him as well. It was odd. He and his clothing both seemed to have shrunk after coming into contact with the Cube's blast. Her clothes had also shrunk, too, which didn't make much sense. Well, nothing about this situation made any sense. Why were they turned into teenagers of all things? A Cube that supposedly had the ability and power to do anything, and it had to regress their age. Studying the workings of the Cube was her utmost priority. She had to puzzle out the way it worked if she ever wanted to get back to her normal age. The only problem was the Cube was back with SHIELD, which really bites because that was _her_ project. _She_ was the one in charge. _She_ was doing a lot of the research. All because of a stupid accident, she was ripped away from it and now had to 'vacation' in Stark's home and go back to school. With Loki. Another glance in his direction. What did Fury expect from her? Because she and Thor were okay, that meant she was going to be okay with his little brother? Maybe give him some pop tarts, show him the town and everything will play out just fine. Jane smirked. Yeah, right. Loki was nothing like Thor. None of that would work for him.

"See? Jane agrees," Tony said, directing the attention at her.

Her head snapped up, trying to figure out what had been said. What had she apparently agreed to? She vaguely recalled hearing them talking about Loki, but other than that, she missed something.

"Dr. Foster," Natasha was leaning forward, elbows on her knees and hands clasped together. "I don't doubt your expertise in your field, but keeping the God of Chaos in line isn't going to be easy."

Was that what they were talking about? Her ability to watch him. Jane was suddenly aware of how close she and he were standing; their shoulders were almost brushing. Consciously, she took a half side step away, uncomfortable that they were freely having this conversation in front of him. "That's why we're all here, isn't it?" She looked at them, uneasily. It wasn't like she was alone in this. It was more their job to keep him from destroying things than hers.

/

* * *

/

Tony directed Loki and Jane to their rooms. Awkward as it was, they happened to be across from each other on the second floor. After Tony left them to get settled, he went back downstairs Jane assumed to continue discussing the 'situation' with Clint and Natasha. There was a sudden moment of tension when Loki and Jane made eye contact, but both turned away immediately and slipped into their rooms without a word.

When she stepped inside her room, Jane felt comforted to see this was one with a balcony. Bypassing the bed and vanity, she went straight to the outside and leaned against the rail, staring up into the sky. A twinge of disappointment shot through her when she found the sky wasn't very full of stars that night. Returning to her bed, she plopped down on it and sat in the little bit of moonlight that fell through the opening. The silence, she found, she couldn't ignore and in it, she couldn't stop her spitfire thoughts rapidly spinning round and round her head. _Cube. Cube. Cube. Cube. Cube._ That's all she could think about. The Cube had to be able to change them back, but how could she find the solution when Fury insisted she be pushed into a school to cover up this mess? There had to be a way to get her hands on files or data or something, so that she could further assess the Cube. Someone had to be able to do it. Jane's eyes widened and her mouth broke into a smile. There was someone who could. Someone in this very house. In the morning, she would have to have a talk with Tony.

A strange sensation pricked up her spine. One that compelled her to look up. She looked at her door, but didn't really see it. She stared through it. At the door across from hers. There was someone else she had to speak with.

Gathering up her courage, she stood and marched over to the other side of the hallway. She and Loki weren't very accustomed to each other, to say the least. Suspicious, cautious, yes, but Jane knew that although this was the safest route to take with him, it was going to be hard to completely avoid him when they went to their school in the morning. Jane cringed. She just thought of something as 'theirs.' Pushing that eerie thought aside, she went over what it was she wanted to say. She wasn't too sure. She just knew she had to say something to him, especially since they would be in the same house and school for an indefinite amount of time. Hopefully, a very short time. Throwing caution to the wind and deciding to wing it, she took one more deep breath and knocked on the door. There was a pause. Shuffling came and then the door cracked open only enough for Loki to poke his head out. The rest of him remained in his room, blocking the view inside.

He looked mildly surprised to see her, but didn't say anything. Jane took this as her cue to begin. "Loki, I, um," Why didn't she think this through? "I just came over to tell you that tomorrow is going to be pretty weird." She clenched her teeth, wanting to hit herself for beginning so awkwardly. Was she always this awkward or was it because she was a teenager again? She'd have to figure that out later. "I mean, there are going to be a lot of people and things there and I'm just thinking we should try to keep from disrupting things too much." Crap. What the heck was she doing rambling like this? She racked her brain for something, anything that wasn't complete nonsense.

"All of the Avengers, Midgard's Mightiest Heroes," Loki spoke, startling Jane who hadn't expected him to speak at all. "Fury believes all of them must be here to keep an eye on me. What does Jane Foster have to keep me in line if not them?" He smirked coldly at her.

Jane unconsciously stepped slightly away from him. "I'm not trying to keep you in line," she said plainly as it was the truth. She had no idea how to begin to in the first place. "I just wanted to…" she trailed off. She didn't know what she wanted to do. Talk to him? Be acquaintances? Not really. But, tomorrow they'd be thrown into something where they'd only have each other, and as awful as that sounded, that was the truth. "Look, Loki, we don't see eye to eye…"

"Because you're so short," he quipped.

"No," she snipped. "We aren't on good terms, but we're going to deal with something tomorrow, that's going to be-"

He cut her off. "What is all this 'we?'" He looked down at her through slit eyes. "I don't know what you intend to do, but I'm fine on my own. Now if you don't mind, I would like to retire to my chamber." Without waiting for a reply, he stepped back into his room and shut the door, leaving Jane feeling helpless.

Jane sighed, turning to go back to her room when she noticed someone else in the hallway. Natasha. The woman approached her. "What?" Jane asked.

"I came up here to see how you were doing," the woman answered.

"Fine," Jane said, tersely, wanting nothing more than to end the ridiculous day she's had and go to bed.

"Are you?"

"I am."

Natasha glanced at the door behind Jane and then set her gaze on her. "Look, this isn't going to be easy. I've dealt with him before. He likes to get into people's heads."

"I know," Jane was starting to move towards her room, but Natasha stepped slightly in front of her.

"No, you don't know. You haven't seen anything yet, but Jane, that's what I'm here to talk to you about." She leaned down, accommodating their height difference so she could look Jane in the eyes. "Everyone is here to protect everyone else from him, but Jane, listen closely. You are the one who's going to deal with him seven hours a day and you're the one who's going to have to keep him from doing anything reckless." She paused. "That's a lot to handle, but you're smart. Use that to your advantage. Don't let him get to you."

Jane stood there, absorbing what Natasha was saying. It was difficult to accept, but she was right. The Avengers and Thor – _God, where was he_ – would be there to keep a close eye on Loki, but she would be the one who would have to attend high school with him and make sure he didn't go on some tantrum and hurt the students. Sure, the others would come and stop something like that, but it would be on her to keep something like that from happening in the first place.

"You're smart," Natasha repeated, straightening up. "Keep your head. If things go wrong we're a phone call away." She began to walk down the hall.

For some reason, Jane remembered something Natasha said earlier and it suddenly bugged her. "He's not the God of Chaos."

The woman stopped and looked back.

Jane continued, a little embarrassed by her outburst. "He's not the God of Chaos. You called him that earlier, but that's not who he is. Eris is. She's the Goddess of Chaos. Loki's the God of Mischief."

"Is there a difference?"

Jane shrugged. "Kind of. Chaos is wild and, well, chaotic." A nervous laugh escaped her lips. This was all awkward. Why did it even matter to mention it? "Mischief, I think, is supposed to be more controlled. It has more purpose." She started feeling foolish for bringing it up at all. "I don't know. Something I learned when I was younger. It probably doesn't matter."

Natasha nodded once and started back down again. Jane sighed, going into her room, wondering why she had to blurt that out.

Now what? She tried. He didn't want to. But, she couldn't let him shut her out. Natasha was right. Loki, though she hated to admit it, was her responsibility. He'd be put into a school, which in of itself caused so many problems, but on top of that, he'd be put into a school with her and she'd be the one there to keep a lid on things. There wasn't much she could do if he wasn't going to listen to her. Maybe they couldn't be friends, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to get him to at least talk to her. Talking would be better than leaving him alone to stew with his own thoughts. Jane walked back out onto the balcony. Staring up at the sky, she became determined to have a decent conversation with Loki before the week ended.

 


	3. First Day of School

 

Waking up was the hardest part of the day. That was what Jane had thought when she was in high school the first time and that was what she thought this time around. Something loud and obnoxious was buzzing in her ear, but she didn't remember setting an alarm. Opening one eye, she surveyed the area, only to quickly screw it shut again. "Tony," she muttered. "Get. _Out_."

"Raise and shine," the eccentric man cheered, holding up a comically oversized alarm clock right next to her face.

"Tony, what are you doing?" she hissed, sitting up. "Why are you in my room?"

"Technically, they're all my rooms," he looked at her pointedly. "Secondly, if I'm going to be on babysitting duty, I'm having fun with it. Now get out of bed and throw on your clothes. It's your first day of school, sweetheart." The grin was over doing it, seeing it was obviously fake, but Tony was relentless. He meant every word. If he was playing guardian - he was going to _be_ guardian. Starting by shoving her off to school right. Getting up on time.

" _Hey_ ," she exclaimed, glimpsing the clock. " _It's five in the morning_. Why are you getting me up _now_? School starts at 7:30."

"Yes, but your new school needs a new you."

"What are you talking about?"

Tony grinned, this time more genuinely. "Let's face it, Urkel. You are not going to school, looking like _that_."

Jane looked down at herself and then back at Tony. "What's wrong with this? This is what I looked like when I went to high school." She paused. "You know, for _real_."

"Yeah, and how did that go for you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?"

Urkel. Oh, right. Like that show. Wait. She glared at him. "Are you saying I look like a nerd?"

He grimaced, raising a brow. "I'm not saying 'nerd,'" he looked away as if in thought. Then he looked back at her and shrugged. "Alright, I'm saying nerd. Oh, come on," he continued as she made an annoyed face at him. "Jane, you scream 'nerd,' and no godchild of mine is going to be a nerd."

"I'm not your godchild," Jane spat. "I'm not your anything. And this is stupid. I'm fine like this." Tony was wasting precious sleeping time. As if any of this was important.

"Really, Jane? So, your time in high school was fine? You had no problems?"

"No," she said quickly. Then she thought about it. "Well, kind of…"

"Kind of?"

"I guess," she started thinking about high school, combing through her memory, pushing deeper passed college, trying to recall those days. There wasn't much to remember. Mostly, she remembered studying and a few people she used to call 'friends.' But, she also remembered mean cliques and some rude girls who would tease her. It wasn't that bad though. Tony was over exaggerating. Like Tony does.

"Un-huh," Tony nodded. "Yeah. No. No godchild of mine is getting called 'nerd,' and no way am I letting you relive _Mean Girls_."

Jane smirked. "My high school life was not like _Mean Girls_."

"Not unless we get Clint and Nat in here to fix you up."

Jane eyed him quizzically. "What are they going to do?"

Now Tony smirked. "You obviously don't know much about them if you have to even ask." He started heading towards the door, calling over his shoulder, "I'm getting your wardrobe. Meet me downstairs when everything's done."

Before she could respond – or _escape_ – Clint and Natasha swept into her room, carrying briefcases filled with who-knows-what, Jane couldn't guess, and started situating themselves in front of her vanity, which was pushed into the corner.

"You guys don't have to do this. I'm just going back to sleep," she started leaning back in her bed, pulling up the covers, but was soon dragged out of it by Natasha clutching one hand and Clint the other. "What are you doing?" she demanded, trying to pull free from their grasp.

"Do you want to go school looking like that?" Natasha asked after settling Jane in a chair in front of the vanity and gesturing towards her reflection.

Jane held back a cringe. Her hair puffed out in an unsightly frizz. Her eyes were hidden behind the glint of her extremely over-sized glasses, and braces flashed whenever she opened her mouth. An oversized, pink sweater and frumpy black skirt – some of the highlights of when she went to school – covered her body clumsily. They weren't wrong, but it was still rude. She sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Make-over me, but why doesn't Loki have to do this?" _He_ was still pleasantly sleeping.

The redhead smirked as she picked up a comb from the array she had in one briefcase and said, "Have you not seen him?"

Jane knew this was said ironically because Natasha knew she saw him. She'd admit – not aloud – that Loki wasn't in dire need of help as much as she was. In fact, Jane wasn't sure if Asgardians ever needed help with that sort of thing. Surely, they never dealt with acne or fought tangles. At least not at the ferocity she has. Jane sighed, surrendering to the tortures of beauty care products and let Natasha and Clint get to work.

/

* * *

/

Jane decided she hated stairs. From one room to the other, she flew, trying to find Tony, so that she could ask him about obtaining information on the Cube, but the man was nowhere to be found. In her mad search, she had to check the first floor, then the second, then the third and lastly the fourth, but couldn't find him anywhere and had to backtrack and do it all over again. If having to talk to him was vexing, having to find him was worse. It was as if he vanished. She did run into Steve Rogers – apparently he arrived some time during the night. The man was seated at a table, eating some sort of grain with milk and he did a double take when he saw her. Mouth full of grain, he gawked at her for a second. Then he swallowed, blinked and politely apologized for having stared. Jane waved it off – _who wouldn't stare if they suddenly saw a teenage version of someone they knew?_ – and asked for Tony. The name seemed to irk him and Jane thought she saw his face darken. Only for a moment. Then he smiled nicely and told her he saw him working in his work shop, which was somewhere on the first floor.

After flying down the halls, walking in on people – _"I am so sorry, Dr. Banner!"_ – Jane finally found the man sitting on a stool, hunched over a desk full of miscellaneous parts with the breast plate of a suit in front of him and a screwdriver in one hand. Ducking under hanging wire and overstepping half-finished suits, she strode up to him.

"Tony," she called.

He turned around, saw it was her and placed the screwdriver on the desk, grinning. "Hey, someone looks much better."

Jane narrowed her eyes at him. There wasn't much difference; at least, she didn't think so. Natasha straightened her hair and Clint applied make-up. The two also gave her contacts – Tony apparently knew her prescription and had them made over night, which never ceased to creep her out. Now more or less, she looked like herself, only… much younger. "It really wasn't a big deal. I could've gone looking like I did. And anyway-" She tried to transition to her reason for being there, but Tony interrupted her.

"Yeah, and go in there to be eaten alive? I don't think so. I know teenagers, Jane. They're vultures." He started taking out pieces of clothes, clearly too small for him, and handed them to her. "Pepper picked these out, by the way."

Jane briefly looked them over, noting the purple t-shirt had a white star on it, and all of it - the shirt, the jeans, the shoes – were in her exact size. She suppressed a shiver. "Thanks, I appreciate some new clothes-" She was about to ask her question, when he cut her off.

"Pepper is arranging more outfits for you. She seems pretty excited to have a 'girl' to fuss over. You know, Nat's not into that sort of thing."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, but, Tony, I need to talk to you about-"

"I tried to add some rocket boosters to the clothing, but Pepper said n-"

"Tony, what can you do to get me information on the Cube?" All of it rushed out of her mouth in a breath, but she needed to get to the point and not let Tony get all over the place. The man would never stop if she didn't intervene.

A startled look passed his face. Then he leaned forward, eyeing her. "What can I do?" He snorted a laugh. "What can I do? Sweetheart, what _can't_ I do?" He leaned back against his desk, crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked at her. "Let me take a guess. You want me to give you full-access to the Cubes data so you can continue your research." He paused, nodding. "Or maybe you're going to figure out how to reverse this mess you're in?"

Jane shrugged, not at all surprised that he worked out her intention. He's Tony Stark. Anyone could've seen where she was going with this. "That's pretty much it. Would you want to just sit around in your teenage body, waiting for someone else to fix it?"

He stared at her. A visible shudder ran up his spine. "Point taken." Sliding off the stool, he started walking towards an empty space surrounded by carts of tools and machinery Jane didn't bother glancing at twice. Instead she focused on the holographic screen Tony pulled up. After flipping through a few things and typing in whatever, he turned to her and gestured her over. "Alright, come back here after school," he paused to hold back a laugh, succeeding in a twisted grin and a short breath of chuckles. "Come back here afterwards and I'll have everything you need right here."

Jane nodded. "Alright." She tilted her head towards him. "Now how are we getting to school?"

"We?" Tony glanced at her.

"Loki and me," she clarified.

Jane thought she saw him cringe, but that could've been the lighting.

"Right, Reindeer Games, okay. Taken care of. Go out front. There's a car waiting." Tony clapped his hands together, grinning at her. "Have a great day at school, sweetheart."

Rolling her eyes, she began walking out the room. "M'hmm. You, too."

"Oh, hey," Tony stepped over to her swiftly, pulling something from his pocket. "Before you go. Take this. Hold out your wrist." She shuffled the clothing and shoes to one arm and did so, and he strapped a watch on it. "No, it's not just a really cool watch. See this?" He pointed to a button on the side, one she wouldn't have noticed otherwise; it was so tiny. "If the Loco Train acts up," he raised his eyebrows. "You press this and we'll be there to slam the hammer down." He paused and then shrugged. "I guess that's more Thor's thing, but you get the idea."

Jane nodded, running a cursory glance over the face of the watch. Appearing ordinary enough, she had to give Tony credit on how easily it would blend it. Hopefully, a certain someone wouldn't catch on. But, with him, Jane didn't really know what to expect. "Alright. Got it. If anything comes up."

" _Anything_."

"Un-huh." Glancing at the watch, she startled back. "Sheesh, how is it that time already? I got to go."

Jane scraped together enough time to change into her outfit before making her way to Loki's door. The outfit was her exact size, which she ignored for now, trying not to wonder _how_ Tony and Pepper knew that. There were more immediate issues. Like the door in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she knocked. No answer. She frowned. Maybe he wasn't going to show up. Why would he? A man with an eyepatch and disclosed personal secrets came to mind and she knew that he would show up. She knocked again, this time calling, "Loki? We're going to be late." Jane widened her eyes. Telling Loki – _Loki_ – that they were going to be late for school had to be one of the top craziest things she has ever done. Scratch that. Going to school with Loki, that had to be number one. Now where was he? As she went to knock again, the door swung open. "Hey, Lok – oh!" She nearly jumped back when she realized what he was wearing.

Yesterday, when they both shrunk, their clothes adapted to what they used to wear as teenagers, and Loki had a similar outfit to the one he had been wearing as an adult, albeit lesser leather and metal. Now he wasn't wearing anything remotely Asgardian. Instead, he had a dark green dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans and black shoes that Jane thought could be converse. "Whoa," she breathed, taken aback. She hadn't thought about what he would wear. "Where did you-?"

"Illusion."

Jane snapped her head back up, removing them from his shoes and focusing on his eyes. When he opened his mouth, the brisk, cold tone that slithered out reminded her that he may look like a teenager, but he definitely wasn't one. Then what he said registered. "Illusion? As in? As in these clothes aren't real? How did you-?" Jane seized up. Loki's hand was griped firmly around her wrist. She then realized that she had been reaching out to touch his 'shirt' without thinking about it. They stood without moving for a few breathless seconds.

"Don't touch me," he hissed, narrowing his eyes at her as he let go of her wrist.

She quickly brought her hand to her side, feeling a faint chill where his fingers were. "I won't," she told him, trying to keep calm. She was not going to let him intimidate her. That was all he was doing. In this younger body, and whatever Fury made for him had to lessen his power somehow. The pressure on her wrist wasn't as strong as to be expected of someone like him. She wasn't sure if that was his strength, or if he was holding back. The uncertainty didn't comfort her. "We have to get going. School starts."

They stood there, staring at each other. His jaw was set so tight Jane thought he would break his teeth. The stance he took implied he was not moving anytime soon. There was sure to be an argument. She was surprised when he started out of his room without a word. Quickening her step, she followed after him, trying to walk beside him, but he was faster than she anticipated and she ended up trailing a step or two behind.

What was _his_ problem? Jane couldn't help fuming towards him. He wouldn't talk to her, and when he did, it was in short syllables. What was that about? He liked talking. He was _known_ for talking. Silver tongue. Jane was sure she heard that nickname somewhere. Then why was he acting mute? Because he didn't deem her worthy to talk to? Of all the preposterous things, that had to be the most absurd. Who would belligerently not talk to someone because of a question of worth?

Jane jerked forward, placing her foot too far out in front of her. She almost tripped down the staircase, and had to catch herself on the railing. She glanced over embarrassedly. Loki gave her strange look, but didn't say anything. Jane frowned as he walked on. How could _that_ not gain a comment? Was it an Asgardian mindset? Someone from Asgard might have the impression that people from Earth were beneath them. Her first encounter with Thor couldn't exactly be called 'pleasant'. But, he talked to her and he did appreciate her home world eventually. If Thor was here, he'd know how to handle this. Which brings up the question, where was he? Jane sighed. Everyone else had arrived, but he has yet to show up.

Jane would dwell on that later. There were bigger, more immediate problems to address. She glanced at Loki's back. "Did you sleep well?"

He didn't answer or turn around to acknowledge her.

 _Okay, Jane_ , she thought. _You officially can't start conversations._ She watched his back. _Or he is the rudest person alive._ She corrected herself. _Rudest_ Asgardian _alive._

Picking up her pace, she strolled next to him. "Tony says there would be a ride for us out front." She tried not to look like she was staring intensely at his face, waiting for a reaction, but it was hard and she probably looked very much like she was staring. She didn't care. She wanted to get him to respond. An eyebrow, a subtle lip movement, anything. Nothing. Sighing, she let the space between them fill up with silence as they walked out to their ride.

Again, Jane was surprised _to be surprised_ when she saw the 'car' Tony arranged for them. The word 'car' didn't cover it. The 'car' was a limousine, black with tinted windows and silver rims. Jane suppressed a groan. _This won't draw attention at all_ , she thought, stealing a glance at Loki, hoping seeing something this splendor that it was boarder-lining ridiculous to be used for transportation to school would goad a reaction from him. Nothing. He did raise his eyebrow, but other than that, he quietly got into the vehicle. Jane followed after him. The white leather made everything stand out. Loki's black hair. Loki's green shirt. Loki's slacks. Loki's shoes. Basically Loki. Jane couldn't ignore the fact that they would have to sit next to each other in what would be another uncomfortable silence as they rode to school. He sat on the other side, pressed against his door with his elbow propped against the armrest and his chin in his hand as he looked out the window.

They were alone – save for the driver – and the ride, from what the driver said, would take roughly twenty minutes. Now would be a good time for conversation. Jane cleared her throat. He didn't look over. She cleared it louder. He glanced. Then he went back to the window. She sighed, starting regardless of his attention. "So," she played it casual, hoping not to sound too desperate. "Asgard? What schooling did you have?"

There was a beat and then he answered, catching Jane off-guard. "The kind one learns to kill a man without getting blood on one's hands." He turned to her with what looked like a very pleased grin. Then it fell away and he turned back to the window.

Jane sat there, stunned. That was, to say the least, not what she expected. But, what did she expect? _Hey, there, Loki. I know you tried killing me not too long ago, but how about we pretend that didn't happen and become buddies?_ Her neck burned as she remembered his fingers around it. She swallowed hard, resisting the urge to touch where the red marks already healed. _To kill… without getting blood on one's hands._ Suppressing a shudder, Jane twisted in her seat, facing his back. The smile on his face when he said that haunted her. "It's no joke to kill someone."

"It wasn't a joke." He didn't turn.

The rebuttal died on her tongue. She sat there, unsure of what to say. Asgard was as distant as the stars to her. How would she know what they taught there? Didn't Thor always mention warriors and battles? Teaching fighting skills wasn't so far-fetched. But, why did he say it like that? And no matter what, even if fighting was taught, it didn't make it okay to out and say something so disturbing. Especially after New York. Erik. A pang shot through her heart. He hadn't been the same since. He was skittish and more often than not, had memory lapses. Worst of it was when he would sit in his chair, staring aimlessly ahead of him and muttering over and over in monotone the name of the man who did this to him. Jane was sitting next to that man. The thought brought her blood to a boil.

"And New York? Was that something they taught in your school?" Jane thought it was in poor taste, but this needed to be said. Not to say, it needed to be said in this way, but it was important, nonetheless. Loki killed people, _innocent people_ , in the onslaught of New York. If they were forced to go to school together, this was something Jane had to confront him about.

"There are no lessons about crushing ants."

Jane's mouth hung open, appalled. "Humans are not… we're not… how can you be so _ignorant_?"

He didn't respond this time. His stare hardened as he peered out the window and she knew she wasn't going to get another word out of him. She closed and opened her mouth several times, words roiling on her tongue, but she didn't say a single one. Talking with Loki was trouble enough. Throwing his mistakes in his face wasn't going to make it any easier. She didn't want to let it go, though. What happened then was important. It would have to come up. Until then, she resolved in steering away from 'touchy' subjects. But, right now she was worked up and any speaking would come across all wrong. She'd try again later. Jane wasn't counting this as a conversation.

The rest of the ride was spent in aggravated silence.

Soon the limo pulled up in front of what Jane assumed to be their new school. Outside, waiting on the steps with briefcase in hand was Agent Coulson. Jane got out first, and waited for Loki. He got out of her door and directly walked up to Coulson, leaving Jane to close it with a slam. She didn't exactly forget the way he brushed off the death and destruction he caused in the span of the few minutes it took to get there, and residual anger was seeping through her skin. She more or less stomped her way over and stood next to Loki. They looked at the agent expectantly.

He was quick to explain how things would commence. He was their paternal guardian and would need to lead them into the principal's office to get properly registered and to obtain the necessary school supplies. Speaking of school supplies – the briefcase contained some of the generic items they would potentially need, including pencils, pens, notebooks, folders, erasers, tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. Coulson was prepared. Scarily prepared.

Jane felt humiliated by all of it. Going back to school was humiliation enough – _she has a master degree!_ – but going back to school, having Coulson as a 'paternal guardian', having to register her, Earth's Mightiest Heroes practically babysitting her, AND having to go to school with a man-turned-boy who basically told her on the ride there that he compared humans to ants went beyond humiliation and felt strictly like a punishment bent on making her life miserable. And that wasn't the worst of it. How could that _not_ be the worst of it? But, of course, there was one more itty-bitty, tiny thing that was worse than all of it combined. _She_ had to watch over Loki. The task never felt any less formidable, never any less foreboding. She had to keep him from doing whatever a Loki does when in an unfamiliar place, where he doesn't _want_ to be, and with the unpredictability of a _cootie catcher_. Jane frowned. Where did _that_ come from? That wasn't where she originally thought her mind was going with that sentence. A chill clutched her insides. Was her mind somehow reverting back into her teenage mindset, too? That thought decidedly was worse than everything previously mentioned combined times a thousand. Nothing productive could be achieved if her mind went back to those silly, girly teenage years. How would she be able to keep track of Loki if she couldn't think straight?

She pushed the thought to the far back of her mind. No time to worry now. It was nothing, but speculation. Her thoughts were clear. She remembered grad school and all she had learned, so that was a good sign. She ignored the fact that her high school memories were crisper than she has recalled in years. It was probably because she was standing in front of a school building. That was all.

Idly, she wondered what Loki thought on the situation, but saw that he was still closed off and showed no visible signs she could read. As she tuned back to listening, she caught the end of Coulson's sentence, something sounding like a near threat.

"- take necessary measures if we have to."

Jane realized he was talking to Loki, who responded with raised eyebrows and a cheeky grin.

Coulson kept his placid, little smile, not much reacting to the action and instead continued on. "Alright, time to get registered." He turned and without looking back, walked inside, the two 'students' close behind.

/

* * *

/

Nothing about this registration felt right. It was too rushed, and was happening too fast. There was no way real registrations were so casual. SHIELD had to have been responsible for something so quick and easy.

Jane stood next to Loki as Coulson talked with the principal about their admission. The woman looked between them suspiciously. Her makeup was a tad too heavy and made her look like a clown, which made it difficult to concentrate on the discussion. She shuffled through the papers Coulson presented to her, her lips never lifting from her firm frown.

"Okay, Mr..." She glanced back at the paperwork. "Mr. Coulson." Placing it down, she folded her hands over the desk. "Their paperwork checks out, but I am a bit skeptical about how sudden this was all arranged. All of it, even their birth certificates, was faxed to us over night. And it's the middle of the semester."

Birth certificates? Jane wondered what SHIELD put together for them. She glanced at the boy next to her. Staring straight ahead, not particularly paying attention to anything, his expression was unreadable. She frowned. How was she going to do anything to keep him from flying off the handle and terrorizing students? How could Fury think this was a good idea? She had to relax her jaw when she began to feel her teeth ache from gritting them. She took a steadying breath. All she had to do was make sure he didn't do anything illegal. What qualified as illegal could be an array of things. How was she going to do that if she couldn't get him to talk more than a few words at a time? The watch rested heavily on her wrist. That was a last resort. The absolute last thing she would use. An image of Tony decked out in his Iron Man suit and Thor wielding lightning as they ran through the school, chasing a snickering Loki shimmered to the front of her mind. She had to clutch her fists to keep from shivering. Definitely last resort.

Coulson nodded. "Our family had to leave our home in a rush. We didn't have time to wait. My children needed to get into a new school right away."

The woman's skeptical stare was firm. "You're their father?"

"No, ma'am. They're adopted. Different families. It should be in their files."

Jane noticed Loki tense up, but she wasn't sure why. Something Coulson said? What did he say that would make him on edge? She brushed it off. That would have to be figured out later. When she got him to talk.

After a few more questions, and some more vague answers, the woman handed Coulson their schedules for the semester and locker numbers, who thanked her before sweeping them out into the hall. Outside, he handed them the papers. Then he began fishing around his briefcase, gathering equal amount of supplies for both of them.

"Shouldn't we have backpacks?" Jane asked as the pens and notebooks became overwhelming.

Coulson pulled out two backpacks, one blue, the other green, smiling. "Already covered."

Jane picked out the blue, conscious of Loki's fascination with green and watched as he slowly lifted his arm to grab it. Then she unloaded her supplies into hers. Loki followed suit, she noticed, a beat after she did.

Coulson talked to them before leaving, explaining that if trouble stirred up – he glanced deliberately at Loki – they'd be there to put a stop to it. The threats and supplies taken care of, Coulson left, leaving the two alone in the empty hallway. Class started in a minute, the first bell having already ringed.

Jane brought her schedule closer to her face, looking over her classes. "Okay, so, my first class is Math. What is yo-?"

"I'm not going to class."

Startled, she looked at him. "What?" She couldn't have heard him right.

"SHIELD may have gotten me to enter the school, but there is nothing forcing me to attend Midgardian classes." His face was resolute. His decision was made.

Jane stared at him. They were there by themselves for ten seconds – _ten seconds_ – and already things were out of her hands. "You have to go to class," she argued, weakly, though she had no support to her words. There was no real reason for him to go. Besides, of course, so she could watch him. But, that would not do well to say aloud.

"Who's going to make me?" he smirked.

As she tried to begin her rebuttal, the bell rang, throwing her attention away from him for a second. When she turned back, he was gone. Jane stood in the middle of the hall, filling with dread. She took a few steps and peered around the corner. No one. She went the other way and checked behind that corner. No one. Now what? She was alone. Loki was alone. In a high school.

Jane swallowed the bile rising in her throat, shuffled her papers, took a deep breath and marched to her first class, desperately shoving aside all the horrible images of what Loki could possibly be doing at that moment. Her wrist itched under the watch. _Last resort_ , she reminded herself and found her classroom's door. Another deep breath and she turned the knob.


	4. Advice

 

Syrup and blueberries wafted into the air, tickling Jane's nose as she waited at the table, watching the back of Thor's red shirt while he busied himself over the stove. Light shone in from the window over the sink. Mismatch patches of light scattered across her hands and table cloth. Warmth caressed her face. This would've been a good morning any other day. Not today.

Darcy, whistling, winking and avoiding work on her phone, wasn't by the coffeemaker, brewing up a fresh batch; Eric, stern, scolding and seeking out the best for her, wasn't plopped in the seat across from her. Emptiness reached out to her with cold fingers. She slumped in her chair. A weight, solid and suffocating, pressed on her heart, heavier than she's felt in years. She blamed her raging hormones.

Thor glanced back and smiled at her. She returned it, but her mood was hardly lifted. When he finally arrived after the third day of school, she did not feel any better for seeing him. The golden haired Asgardian was worried sick over her, asking over and over again if she was well. She didn't have an answer for him, but for an hour, she was high on a buzz created by his presence. Having him near made the situation less imposing. Possibilities opened up. Thor could hold her and make everything okay. His strong arms a comfort. Once the feeling wore off, she crashed into the ground. Reality had a tendency to do that to her. Thor, though there, was no more help than if he wasn't. She was still a teen, which made things between them awkward, and both were more distant. Jane didn't mind. It was understandable. That didn't make her embarrassment any less when he politely refused her kiss. Caught up in the moment, seeing him after so long, she leapt up in his arms and pursed her lips, having already closed her eyes. Needless to say, the moment became awkward when she didn't feel lips on hers. She understood – kissing a teenager version of your significant other was weird – but she still felt a pang of disappointment and slight anger. Her mood was out of whack and she blamed her irrational resentment on her hormones. Not to mention a silent storm cloud who refused to talk to her.

After Loki left her in the dust, she didn't see him for the rest of the first day. At the end of school, she found the limo out front and had yet to see him. She was in the middle of trying to explain to the driver that there might have been a homicidal maniac on the loose, when he casually appeared out of thin air right next to her, giving her a heart attack. She asked where he had gone. No answer. The whole ride was a one-sided conversation and Loki was adamant not to join in. She didn't know where he went, but seeing how there was no commotion or gossip of a mysterious boy wreaking havoc in the halls, Jane hoped that meant he hadn't been doing anything. That was nonsense though. He was Loki.

The first day was a fluke. She attended classes; no one bothered her; everything went smoothly on her part. However, Loki completely skipped classes and did who-knows-what. Then he ceased speaking altogether. Not a good start to a friendship. Or acquaintanceship, Jane corrected. They'd never be friends.

The next day would be better, she reasoned. She was wrong. For three days, starting with the first day of school, Loki stopped talking to her. Completely. Not even one word answers anymore. No matter how often she talked or what she said, he remained silent. His attendance wasn't doing any better, either. He always disappeared before she went to her class. He always came back to the limo at the end of the day, so that was a good sign, wasn't it? But, it was frustrating not knowing where he was going all the time.

"Jane."

Startled, she looked up. Thor had taken a seat across from her. Pancakes, overflowing with syrup sat in front of her. "Sorry, Thor, what were you saying?" she asked, realizing she missed something.

His brow knitted in consternation. "Jane, you are not yourself. Is something wrong?"

 _Yeah, sorry, I was thinking about your brother_ , she thought with a frown. If Darcy knew that, she'd be sure to make some lewd joke out of nothing. Thinking about her absent intern only made her sadder, so she shoved the brunette from her thoughts. Then she realized she left Thor hanging. Her eyes widened in embarrassment. "Oh, um, uh…" She winced. She's never been this bad at talking. Hormones. Definitely the hormones.

"Are you feeling alright?" Thor was leaning over the table now, peering into her face.

She leaned further back into her chair. "Fine," she muttered through gritted teeth. She was still sore over the embarrassment when she tried to kiss him.

She regretted her tone when she saw the hurt look cross his face. "Jane, what is wrong? You can tell me."

A raven haired boy with green eyes refused to stop haunting her mind. She couldn't say that though. It would come off as creepy. And it wasn't like that. She was just so frustrated that he wouldn't talk. "Can't you get him to say something?" she blurted out. "You've been with him most of your life. Get that brat to talk to me."

Thor stared at her. "Him? You mean, Loki?"

Jane felt her cheeks heat up. Somehow it felt weird talking to Thor about his brother. "Erm, yes. Loki. Look, I have to go to school with him and it's important we have some sort of communication. You know," she lowered her voice, leaning closer. "So, we don't have a _situation_." Thor nodded, not offended. Jane sighed. "Your brother won't talk to me at all or anyone."

"Loki likes to keep to himself."

"That's not helping."

"What do you want me to do, Jane? Drag him from his room and make him talk?"

"That'd be great, yes. Thank you."

Thor chuckled. "I am sorry, Jane. But, I'm no better at reaching him than you or anyone else." He picked up a fork and started cutting into his pancakes. "When his mind is set on something, he's determined to do it, no matter what it is. If he doesn't want to talk, nothing will make him."

Jane groaned, slumping further into her chair.

"Why does this concern you?" Thor smiled at her disappearing form as she slid even more.

She sighed. How does she phrase this? "I thought if Loki and I were acquaintances-" She was not saying 'friends'. "-it'd be easier to keep him from trouble."

Thor took a big bite of pancakes, chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed before speaking. "Jane, you can't keep Loki from doing anything. If Loki wants to do something bad enough, he'll do it."

"You've known him for so long, how can you not know how to handle him by now?"

He shrugged. "Loki's not manageable."

Jane grumbled, "Yeah, that's helpful."

"What's helpful, Froster?"

The question was followed by a short chuckle, one Jane irritably recognized. "Tony, you do not have to call me that here."

The billionaire swiped a plate of pancakes, smirking. "I know, Froster."

Jane sat up in her chair, glaring at him. There was one more thing she didn't need. Her fake name. Apparently, anyone could make up fake names for her and Loki for their school and Tony happened to be anyone. So, for some reason, he decided to make their names 'Jane Froster' – which was beyond stupid and wasn't even that different – and 'Lucas Goodfellow'. Both names were horrible in her opinion, but ultimately she thought hers was worst. It wasn't changed except for a letter. Not only that, but Tony laughed every time he said it. Every time. She didn't understand why it was so funny.

"Jane was telling me she wanted help with Loki," Thor explained.

"Right, Snape," Tony nodded.

Thor glanced at him, confused, but said nothing about the nickname. "She tells me she wants to get him to talk."

Tony leaned against the counter, forking pancakes into his mouth. Talking around a mouthful, he said, "Janie, you have a better chance at finding Nessie than getting Loki to talk. I threw a banana at him - _a banana, Jane_ – and you know what he did?"

"You threw a banana at Loki?" she gaped at him. "What is wrong with you?"

"You're not the first to say that, Sweetheart. Now listen. You know what he did? Lolo-"

"I thought you threw it at Loki," Thor interrupted it.

"I did. But -"

"Then why did you say-"

"It's a nickname, Thor. Like Point Break or Reindeer Games."

"Lolo?"

"Just let me finish the story." He hurried to continue before Thor could protest more. "I threw a banana. It hit Loki. And Loki," he paused for effect. "Didn't say a word." He shoveled another forkful of pancake into his mouth.

Jane frowned. "He didn't do anything?"

Tony swallowed. "I didn't say that."

"You said-"

"I said, he didn't say anything. I didn't say he didn't do anything."

Thor was eyeing him now, concern on his face. "What did my brother do?"

Tony took another bite and chewed slowly. Once he swallowed, he shrugged. "If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not telling."

"Okay," Jane said, eyebrow arched. Her pancakes were cold and soggy now. She wasn't too interested in eating anyway. "So, there's nothing that you can do to get Loki to talk."

"Not that I know of." Thor smiled apologetically at her. "Do not worry about it too much, Jane. If he causes trouble, we'll stop it. He's not much harm as he is."

"M'hm," murmured Jane. Her eyes fell to her watch and she stood up. "I got to go. School starts." She inwardly cringed. What a horrible phrase she thought she'd never have to say again. "I'm going to let Loki know."

Thor and Tony said words of encouragement as she trudged upstairs. Loki never came out of his room much and when he did, it was usually for necessity like food. Because of this, Jane always had to go get him when it was time to leave. He never fussed about leaving and was always on time, but this made no sense to her. He rode in the limo to school with her, but as soon as they were alone, he'd disappear only to re-appear at the end of the day to be picked up. She didn't understand why he came to school with her at all. Then again, she probably never would understand him.

She knocked on his door. Before she got through the second knock, the door swung open and she nearly swatted his face. Taking a reflexive step back, she informed him, "School."

He didn't respond, unsurprisingly, and headed down the stairs. Jane took a deep breath. She could do this. Mustering up confidence, she trailed after him.

/

* * *

/

Jane slammed the door to her room. Throwing her backpack on the floor, she flung herself onto her bed, grabbed her pillow and screamed into it. When her voice was hoarse, she collapsed and lay unmoving against her sheets. Today was the worst day she ever had.

High school was supposed to be about learning. Then why did there have to be drama? Because children are vultures. Or Tony said something like that. He was right.

The last few days had been a breeze, if she didn't take into account Loki's absence. Classes were fine; she remembered a lot of it once she started. No one took notice of her. Until today. It started in first hour – no, not even first hour. A minute or two after Loki did his daily routine of disappearing, three girls Jane had never seen before came up to her. They immediately started berating her outfit – the one Pepper was so excited to see her wear – asking her if she fished it out of a dumpster. She ignored them and went to class, hoping to forget them.

First hour, she got milk spilled on her skirt by some clumsy oaf.

Second hour, a jock threw a ball and it hit her in the face.

Third hour… was surprisingly fine.

But, fourth hour was the worst of it all. Fourth was her science class and they had to be paired up for an assignment. Things were fine at first, but then her partner, some greasy haired jerk, grabbed her butt.

To top it all off, the salt in the wound, Loki didn't say a word all day.

Jane sighed into her sheets, feeling like a boulder had been dropped on her back. High school wasn't like this when she went to school, was it? She remembered some teasing, but those girls didn't know her. She'd only been at school for three days. There was no reason to single her out like that. And everything that followed? It was one bad incident after another.

There was a knock at her door. Thor's voice emitted through it a beat later. "Jane? Are you alright?"

Jane clenched her teeth, biting down her irritation. Even Thor sounded annoying right now. Stupid hormones. "Go away, Thor. I want to be alone." She knew it wasn't good for her to push people away, but she couldn't help wanting to hide in the privacy of her room.

He tried a few more times, but she wouldn't have it. Soon he left. She was alone with her thoughts.

How could anyone want to go to high school after a day like that? It was humiliating. Jane shot up from the bed. That was it. High school was humiliating and everyone had reasons to loathe it. Loki went to school, too, and he had to have bad days once in a while. Was that why he didn't want to go now? Jane couldn't be sure. She wasn't going to get a word out of him about it now. But, maybe she didn't have to.

/

* * *

/

"You were homeschooled?"

"You don't have to say it like that."

"I'm not," Jane said hastily, even though she couldn't take back the groan of disappointment when she heard about Thor's and Loki's schooling. Private school. At the palace, no less. Literally just the two of them. She sighed. "It's just, well, I thought if maybe Loki had some bad school experiences, I could figure out why he…" She hesitated and then quickly finished, "Why he doesn't like classes." She almost said, 'doesn't attend classes', but seeing how that could cause rise to alarm, changed her mind.

"Loki always excelled in our studies." Thor shrugged. "I do not know why he wouldn't enjoy the ones Midgard has to offer."

Jane bit the inside of her cheek to hold back the remark she had on the tip of her tongue. Several reasons buzzed on the top of her head. These studies were for children. It was humiliating. All the more reason for her to be focusing on the Cubes data rather than Loki and his petulance behavior. The sooner she could crack the code of Cube, the sooner they could return to their normal, non-high school lives. Loki in jail. She researching. Normal, _separate_ lives.

/

* * *

/

The light from her laptop cast the world around her screen into darkness. Nothing outside of her history research paper got her attention. Nikola Tesla. Another genius whose work went unappreciated. Jane felt a kindred spirit towards him. Her reading on him was interrupted by a knock at the door. She frowned, closing her laptop, letting her eyes adjust to the moonlight in the room. No one usually disturbed her when she was in here. She checked the clock. Or when it was past ten. Pushing herself off her bed, she went to open the door. Her eyebrow rose of its own accord. Natasha. "Yeah?"

The woman was dressed in her 'normal' clothes, the ones that didn't conspire of leather and bullets. White tank top, jeans. The novelty was wearing off and she was becoming accustomed to seeing her dress like this. "How are things with you?"

Her smile was charming; her body relaxed. But, her eyes were shielded. Natasha was an agent for a reason. "You're really asking about Loki."

Her smile dipped to the side, but her demeanor didn't falter. "Doesn't mean I'm not asking after both of you." She shrugged one shoulder. "So? What's the deal about today? Why were you rattling the foundation earlier?"

"Before you get too frazzled, it wasn't because of Loki." _Partly because of Loki,_ she thought spitefully, but didn't say aloud. "I just had a bad day."

"And Loki's not the cause of it?"

"No." Jane's frustration must have shone on her face because Natasha wasn't buying it.

"Still won't talk to you?"

"No," Jane admits with a sigh. "No matter what I say, he blows it off."

"What do you say to him?"

"I don't know. Normal things you say to people. I ask him about how's he doing, or what he thinks of school, but he never responds."

Natasha nodded. "You're trying too hard."

Jane looked at her, startled. "Trying too hard," she echoed.

"M'hm. You're only talking to him so you can get him to speak."

"Yeah, well, isn't that the point of communication? Isn't that how people get to know each other?"

"What are you doing?"

"What?" Jane looked at her weird.

"Why are you here? What are you thinking? What is your thought on the situation?"

"Stop, what are you-"

"Annoying, isn't it?" Natasha arched her brow.

Jane frowned. "That isn't what I say."

"But, you talk, asking for things, wanting to gain information. If he doesn't want to talk, he won't answer questions about himself." Natasha started turning to the staircase. "Talk to him. Without bombarding him with questions." As she started down the hall, she added over her shoulder, "Talk about something else." She shrugged. "Yourself, perhaps?" Then she was gone.

/

* * *

/

Jane's knuckles rested against the doorframe a few beats after she knocked. She didn't expect an answer and she didn't wait for one. Swallowing back doubt, she took a deep breath and began. "Loki," She winced, stopping. His name felt poisonous on her tongue. Exhaling through her nose, she continued. "I don't know what day you had, but… uh… I, um…" She closed her eyes. What was she doing? Speaking to a wall. A literal wall. If that was the case, then what could she lose? She opened her eyes. "Before my first class, some girls came up to me and told me my shirt belonged in the trash. Someone spilled milk on me during my first hour. Then I got smacked around by a ball second hour." She paused, feeling embarrassed about the next one, the one that really made her day suck. "And then, uh… then…" She sighed. In a rush, she finished, "Then some jerk grabbed my butt." Her cheeks heated even though she knew he couldn't see her. There was no reason for her to be telling him this. He wouldn't care. Telling him about her day wasn't going to make them friends. _Acquaintances_ , she corrected herself. Then again, maybe Natasha was right. Talking about herself could lead to something. She'd have to try. "Uh," she started after realizing she hadn't said anything for a while. "That's… that's all I wanted to, uh, tell you. Alright, okay. Bye." She turned to leave, only to feel the urge to turn back and add, "Um, thanks for listening."

Jane shut the door to her room and was surprised to feel lighter. She felt… better. Venting her day must have caused it. Even if Loki wasn't listening, getting all that off chest felt good. And it was okay if she didn't get him to talk to her. The week wasn't over yet.


	5. In the Hallway

 

Jane focused on the lecture as her teacher droned on about the next phase in the plan for the partner project. Or she tried to. It was difficult to pay attention when her partner did nothing, but talk to her. That guy – _Martin?_ – refused to stop bugging her even after she made it clear she wasn't interested.

"Jane," he whispered. "Jane, you should come to my place after school."

Unfortunately, partners had to sit next to each other. She didn't bother gracing him with an answer. The silent treatment wasn't working. If anything, the more she resisted, the more he flirted. Listening to the lecture wasn't going to be an option. Sighing, she decided to block out everything and listen to her thoughts. Soon Martin's and the teacher's voices were a buzz at the back of her head. One thought in particular stood out among the rest. The Cube. Tony was able to connect her with its information, pulling up its database and everything from where she left off, and each night she'd look it over, picking out new bits and pieces. Nothing important to be found. The last few days proved fruitless. She couldn't connect Loki's and her age regression with the Cube. There were no anomalies when the explosion happened. That was odd. She couldn't wrap her head around that. How could there have been no change in the Cubes readings during that crucial moment? However slight, there should have been something, not nothing.

The seat a few rows in front of her caught her attention. _Speaking of nothing_ , she thought. Loki's seat was the only one that was empty. If his absence kept up, the teacher would have to call home and then what? An image of Tony in his iron man suit dragging Loki to classes popped up in her mind. Yeah, that couldn't happen. She'd have to get him to start coming on his own. She started wondering what it would be like if he started attending classes with her. How would Loki handle harassment? Bullies were everywhere. He'd run into one eventually if he started coming. Then again… that wouldn't be something to look into. Quickly, she pushed aside thoughts of Loki getting provoked by students.

Jane jolted sideways. Turning sharply, she looked to see what had jabbed her in the ribs. Martin was grinning like an idiot, pointing his finger at her. What a creep. She breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang. She sprung from her seat and out the door in an instant. Now it was time for lunch. No one would bother her there.

/

* * *

/

Somehow, she should've seen this coming. And yet, she did not. She ran, nearly sprinted, to the lunchroom to grab her tray and find an empty table, thinking she'd have a peaceful lunch when lo and behold, someone decided to snake his way next to her.

"Hey, beautiful, I switched lunch hours, so now we can spend more time together." Martin winked. It was like watching a moose have a seizure.

Ignore him. She didn't have anything to say to him and if she stayed quiet long enough, he'd lose interest. Teenage boys had the attention span of a fly. Or not. He won't shut up.

"And your eyes are like two beautiful mud holes. Oh, hey, I forgot a fork." He got up. "I'll be right back. Stay here." He started walking back to the lunch line.

"Stay here," Jane muttered. "I'm not a dog."

Picking up her tray, she made her way to the cafeteria doors and slipped into the hallway. She wasn't going to endure that during class _and_ lunch. There were benches next to the windows in the hallway near the entrance – that's where she'd eat. Something caught her eye and when she looked to see what, she froze. _Loki_. He was turning into a hallway across from her. He didn't look up. He didn't seem like he noticed her at all. Jane felt paralyzed. This was the first time she's ever seen him during school. Where did he go all the time? Now was her chance to find out. Snapping out of her stupor, she followed down the hallway he went, spotting him halfway down it. Keeping her distance, she walked after him. For a few minutes, he simply turned down hallways, seemingly at random and then Jane panicked for half a second when he was out of her sight. But, when she reached the hallway he vanished into, she found him seated quietly at a bench, leaning against the wall leisurely.

Realizing she was no longer hidden from his view, she hastened to say something. "Hey, uh, how's it going?" When he made no response, she stepped over to the bench opposite him and sat down, holding her lunch in her lap. He didn't stir from his spot. He sat still as he was when she saw him. He didn't lift his gaze or acknowledge that she appeared at all. Why wasn't he doing anything? Say something, she wanted to yell, but held back. Remember what Natasha said. Don't get all up in his business. She wouldn't want someone doing that, so he probably didn't either. Jane startled. Loki hadn't moved since she sat down. What was he waiting for? An explanation? Oh, wait…

"Okay, so, uh," Jane muttered. Clearing her throat, she began again. "This is what you do?" He didn't move. Jane wanted to hit herself. Don't talk about him. "Alright. Cool. Uh, I bet you're wondering why I followed you." _Smooth._ "Well, um…" _Tell me your secrets! What in the world are you doing?_ "Okay, so you remember that guy I told you about?" Then again, she couldn't be too sure he even heard what she said last night. There wasn't a way to tell if he had been listening. "Well, he's stalking me or something. He switched his lunch hour so he could bother me in the cafeteria. So, I went into the hall to eat. Then I saw you and one thing led to another and here we are." On the last word, she held up her hands and shook them, mimicking a 'ta-da' gesture.

Loki didn't move. He sat, leaning against the wall, his stare focused ahead, unblinking. This was… creepy. She was used to him not saying anything or giving any reaction, but this went beyond what she was accustomed to. Focus, she told herself. She had to try to make conversation, even if he was being stubborn.

"So, I've been studying the…" she stopped when footsteps caught her attention. She glanced and then tensed on seeing the intruder. "Oh, come on," she muttered, glaring at Martin.

"Why did you leave me all alone?" he asked, stepping closer. He noticed Loki. "And who is this? You never told me you had a boyfriend."

Jane paled. Who would think he was her anything? "He is not my-"

"Well?" Martin suddenly turned towards Loki, who hadn't moved an inch since Jane found him sitting down.

"Leave him alone," she said. She wasn't worried about Loki; he could handle himself. She was worried what Loki would do to _him_.

"Stay out of this," Martin snapped, not turning from the black haired boy, who was not responding at all. Jane wasn't sure if that was good or bad. "Well, chicken strip? Is this your girlfriend? Am I going to have to beat you to a pulp or what?"

"Or what," Jane exclaimed, panicked. Loki getting into a fight was only going to end horribly. "Please pick or what. He's not my any-"

"I said, stay out of this," Martin reeled back, glaring at Jane, who had set down her tray to stand, readying to put a stop to whatever this was.

She swore she only blinked and yet it happened so fast. Martin turned back. Loki was on his feet. What? When did he move? Jane couldn't progress it. Her mind froze from shock. In the span of a fraction of a blink, Martin was sprawled on the ground, motionless and Loki stood over him.

Jane stared. When she found her voice, all she could do was blurt out, "Loki, what do you think you're doing?" She dropped down next to Martin, beginning to check for vital signs, hoping to science he wasn't dead. She relaxed when she found a pulse, sighing loudly. Then she whipped her head up at Loki as she jumped to her feet. "Loki, I don't know what you did, but you can't do that. Whatever… whatever _that_ is. What if you…" Her words stopped. Loki wasn't paying her any attention. His gaze was focused on the unconscious boy. Her face heated in anger. "Loki, would you listen to me? You can't hurt people. He's only a student." This was futile. He wasn't going to respond, but she couldn't let him do something so rash. She was not going to let the Avengers have a free day in a building full of teenagers, trying to capture one Asgardian adolescent. "Loki, what were you-"

"I don't need your lecture, Jane."

Her breath hitched. "You… you said something." Did he? Was that him? Or had she imagined it?

Loki looked at her, his eyes sharp in the fluorescent overhead lights. "Congratulations," his voice was mocking. "You figured out how speech works."

Jane's face twisted in confusion. "Wait. What? I mean, but you haven't said a word to me for three days. What was that? Why wouldn't you-"

"I don't have to answer your questions. Much like I don't have to speak to you."

"So – so, you ignored me because you wanted to?"

Loki smirked, not saying a word.

Jane gasped and then groaned. "No! Ugh, don't tell me you're shutting up again! Come on! And what about this guy! Is he alright? What did you do to him?"

Loki rolled his eyes, turning back towards the indisposed boy. "As alright as he'll ever be." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but did not move to face her. "Why do you care?"

"Because you could've killed him, Loki. He's a jerk, but he's still a student."

"I'm a student," he retorted. "By Midgard's standards."

"Yeah, well, you're also a lot stronger than humans. You don't know how much damage you could have done. You have to be more responsible-"

"Why should I care what happens to a mortal?" Loki cut her off. "Any of these mortals?"

"How about your cover?" That had to matter if only a little to him. "If you do things like this, you're going to be found out."

"Midgardian students get into fights. I've seen them."

"Not where one student makes the other pass out on the floor without touching him. Loki, you're too strong. It's too obvious you're not normal."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" he snapped. "Let oafs like him drag my name through the dirt because he thinks he's better than me?"

"No. Or yes. I don't know. Whatever keeps you from going too far. And I thought Fury gave you restraints." Look how helpful those turned out to be.

"They restrain certain aspects," Loki said evenly. "My strength wasn't one of them."

Jane sighed. "Okay. Can't you hold back then? Or better yet, don't get into fights with humans?" That was the most logical answer. Fighting was petty, especially over something so stupid. Even if she wanted to punch that guy for saying something so ludicrous.

"I'll better contain myself," Loki said through an overly large grin. "But, I make no promises for him," -indicated unconscious boy on floor- "if he wants a rematch."

Jane groaned. "Loki, he's only-"

"A student," he interjected, now facing her. "One who openly harassed me. I'm not going to stand by and take others' ridicules."

Now he was starting to look genuinely angry over the whole thing and Jane couldn't understand what the big deal was, but remembered what Natasha said and knew arguing him on the matter wouldn't work, so she'd have to find a way around this. "Fine. Okay. But, please, don't get into any more physical confrontations."

"No promises."

"Loki, I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Loki, they are significantly weaker than you."

"Fine. I'll hold back."

"No. You're staying out of fights."

"If they'll allow it."

Jane rolled her eyes. She was regretting having followed him into the hall. "Whatever." The bell ringed and she made a face. "I got to get to class." She moved and then stopped, looking at Loki hopefully. "You could-"

"No. I've already made my decision clear."

Jane sighed. "Fine. Guess I better get to class by myself then." She darted a glance at the boy on the floor and asked, "What about him?"

"He's fine. The footage on the cameras will show he slipped and hit his head." He smirked, adding, "Don't worry. I'm 'in the clear'."

She frowned, shaking her head, and started towards her class. Before she turned the corner, Loki's voice made her turn around.

"This was who was harassing you." He wasn't looking at her; rather he was focused on the ground near Martin's head. It wasn't a question, but there was a question hiding beneath it.

"Yeah," Jane replied, nodding. "He was the jerk." She shook her head and added, "He still didn't deserve it though." Without waiting for his response, which surely would have only furthered her anger towards him for what he did, she rushed off to class, hoping not to be late because of the detour she made. She dropped her uneaten lunch in a waste bin on the way.


	6. Mysterious Hallway Student

 

"Did you hear?"

"No, what?"

"There is this mysterious student who roams the halls."

"I hear he's some goth kid."

"I hear he's single."

Jane sat, back rigid, as she tried not to, but ended up listening to the whispers buzzing around her. Somebody was prone to rumors.

"Yeah, well, you know that perv, Martin? I heard the mysterious student beat him up."

Several girls sighed in unison, making Jane cringe.

"He sounds dreamy."

"I'd like a piece of that."

 _You can have him_ , Jane mused, penciling down notes from her book. The class had yet to start and she was prepping for the test that day. But, as the day would have it, her thoughts couldn't focus on studying and they kept rolling back to what was becoming a popular topic among the female students. The mysterious hallway student. 'Mysterious', indeed, Jane thought bitterly. If he'd only attend classes, there wouldn't be any mystery.

Jane paused in her writing, aware of the hush surrounding her. Everyone sat in silence as if something astounding happened without her knowledge. She glanced at her watch – the one Tony gave her – and noted that it wasn't time for class to start, so why – _oh, no_. She looked up and her mouth fell open. A black haired, green eyed boy stood in front of the room, surveying it casually with a bored expression on his face. His eyes lighted upon her almost instantly and his face considerably brightened, but not in a friendly way - more in a way a predator looks when it has found its prey. He began walking down the row of desks and for a heartbeat Jane panicked at the thought that he was going to sit next to her. Then he took the first empty seat in the second row and completely turned his back to her without giving her another glance. Jane readied to stand and march over there to ask him what in the world he was doing when the teacher walked in and declared the start of class.

The next hour was agony. Not only was the class constantly interrupted by idle gossip about this new student potentially being that mysterious hallway goth by girls _and_ guys, but Loki didn't give her a single glance. As if he was actually paying attention to the lesson. Jane wouldn't believe that he cared to listen for a moment and instead that weasel was only trying to get a reaction out of her by attending classes out of the blue. Why else would he be there?

And on top of that, during the test, Jane couldn't pay attention to her answers because of the annoying, shrill giggle of a girl sitting next to Loki, who was trying to get his attention. She was one of the girls around the school who found it necessary to pick on Jane for some reason, and that only made her more annoying when she kept tapping on Loki's desk and asking him for help on the test. Jane smiled slightly when he ignored her.

As soon as the bell rang, Jane leapt from her seat, intent on grabbing him and demanding an explanation. She took half a step before Loki all, but vanished from his seat and was out of the room to the confusion of everyone. Jane sighed. Tricky, Asgardian jerk. She'd have to catch him in the next class.

/

* * *

/

Jane was going to kill him. She didn't know how, but she was going to kill him. He wasn't in the next hour class. Or the one after that. Or the one after that. He didn't show up for the rest of the classes. Jane sat in high strung anxiety throughout her first four hours, helplessly wondering what in the world he was doing in her first hour only to not appear for the others. She was so lost in thought about Loki, she couldn't even enjoy the fact that Martin wouldn't look at her, let alone talk to her. The perv was on the other side of the room – not that she noticed - and was on his best behavior, lest that mysterious student from the hallway find out he looked wrong at her.

By the time lunch rolled around, Jane thought she might be able to find Loki in the hallway, where she last met up with him – when he completely knocked Martin unconscious. She sighed in frustration when she found the benches empty. And for the rest of the day, she didn't see him, not until they went to their ride at the end of school.

As per usual, he appeared out of nowhere right next to her as soon as the limousine pulled up. She stared at him on their way while he acted as if nothing unusual happened. He didn't glance at her. He was very interested with the scenery outside his window. Sidewalks and buildings – the same as every day.

"Will you say something already?" she blurted out.

Loki turned his head towards her, confusion on his face. "Why, Jane, this outburst is uncouth of you." His voice sounded utterly offended.

"Uncouth of me," she nearly screamed. "What about you? What was that? And drop the act. Why were you in my first hour class?"

"Your first hour class?" he asked innocently. "As I recall, it is mine as well, along with others. Really, Jane, you shouldn't think so highly of yourself."

"You know what I mean," she said. "Out with it. Why were you only in that class?"

A smile curled his lips. "Ah, so you noticed my absence. Touching."

"No. I'm - it's not like that," she hissed. "Just, look, come on. First, you ignore me for several days. Then you beat up that guy. Then suddenly you show up for class the first time since this whole ordeal started and you're just going to sit there and act like it was an innocent 'visit'? What are you up to?" His smile only grew as she went on. " _What_?"

"You turn the most interesting red when you're mad," he said simply.

"Loki!"

"Fine, if you must know, I only attended the first class to see what it was like." He shrugged. "I didn't care for your inferior Midgardian classroom."

Jane stared at him. "That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it'? Was there supposed to be more?" he asked, a bored expression already masking his face.

"You expect me to believe you only attended class to 'check it out'?"

"Not in those words, but yes. And I didn't care for it. I'm sure you saw what happened. That girl was harassing me. I don't need Midgardian girls fondling me."

Jane wasn't sure if he was being genuine or sarcastic, but either way, she was not satisfied with that answer. "Alright, so being attacked by teenagers is unsettling, but not everyone is like that. You didn't even go to the other classes."

"You see one classroom, you see them all."

"That is not true. There are a load of differences between classes."

"We're back," he said suddenly, opening his door and stepping out, presumably ending the conversation to Jane's vexation.

He was already to the mansion door when she stepped out of the limousine. She hurried after him. She caught up to him as he went up the stairs, no doubt heading for his room where he would lock himself away from the world.

"Why won't you come to class?" she asked when he had his hand on his doorknob.

"Why do you?" Loki shot back, turning to face her. "You've already went through high school. This is another humiliation set upon you by SHIELD."

 _Be that as it may_ , she thought grudgingly, but didn't want him to deter her. Before she could reply, he continued.

"And what about that vulgar child who sexually harasses you? Marvin?"

"Martin," she corrected. "And it wasn't sexual harassment."

"He touched you inappropriately."

"Alright, it was. But, look, that doesn't matter anymore. He hasn't done anything since the hallway incident, so it's fine now."

Loki's face remained stoic, but Jane could've sworn there was some sort of relief passing briefly over it as he said, "Regardless, I still won't attend your Midgardian classes."

"Oh, come on," Jane whined. "You don't want to learn anything?"

"What could your primitive backwater realm teach me?"

"Okay, ignoring that comment. Midgard stuff."

Loki arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "Midgard stuff," he repeated.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't," he chuckled, looking at her in what might have been amusement.

"Things only exclusive to this world," she clarified. "Don't you want to know more about Midgard?"

"I already know everything about your 'stuff'."

"Everything? That's impossible."

"Everything I want to know about Midgard," he explained. "The rest is irrelevant."

"What about Chemistry?" That was a bad attempt, but she couldn't think of anything interesting that was taught at school.

"Don't care."

"Or…" she trailed off for a second and then thought about cultural differences. "Or Star Wars? Everyone knows what that is here."

He paused for a second, looking slightly intrigued, but then said, "No."

"What about…?"

Suddenly, Tony jumped out next to Jane from nowhere and said, "Black Sabbath."

Loki turned to the man in confusion and asked, "Black what?"

Tony's eyes widened so much Jane feared they'd pop out from his head. "You don't know about Black Sabbath?" He sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. "You are a sad, sad soul. That's it. You're coming with me." Grabbing Loki by the arm, Tony began dragging him from the room, much to the teenager's protest. There was a lot of struggling, but it was evident that Loki was weaker as a teenager and hadn't his strength. Tony dragged him without ease, but managed.

"Hey, wait a minute," Jane called after the retreating forms. "I just got him talking to me. You can't just steal him."

Tony and Loki were gone. Jane didn't have a moment to feel disappointed as someone spoke not even a beat later, distilling her thoughts.

"You're coming with me," Natasha, who came up behind Jane out of nowhere, said as she grabbed her and immediately started downstairs with her.

"Wait, what? Oh," Jane muttered, stumbling to keep up with the woman's pace.


	7. Favorite Band

 

Jane sat on the couch next to Natasha as they stared at the screen in front of them. After being kidnapped, Jane was told they were going to enjoy a classic and Natasha put in _Anastasia_. They were ten minutes in and no one said a word.

"I have a feeling you don't want to just watch movies and have 'girl time' with me," Jane said at last, glancing sideways at the redhead. "What's up?"

Without moving her eyes from the screen, Natasha said, "The situation."

Jane wrinkled her nose, catching on to what she met. "Nothing has happened."

"Loki made a lot out of nothing." She threw some popcorn in her mouth, slightly turning her head towards Jane.

Jane was confused and then it clicked. She re-emphasized, "Nothing happened."

"Sexual harassment is nothing nowadays?"

Jane shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. Look, it wasn't a big deal. Just some guy who touched my butt one time. The situation is handled. I handled it." Not that she was about to tell Natasha that Loki more or less did some Jedi mind trick that caused the little terror to black out…

"It's handled?" Skepticism marred the redhead's face.

"Yes," Jane nodded, unsure what else to say to affirm this.

"How exactly is it handled? What did you do?"

"When he touched me, I punched him across the face." Which wasn't a lie. She had punched him, hard. The brat just wouldn't leave her alone after that.

Natasha's lips curled into an impressed smirk. "Attagirl." She leaned back into the cushions and threw more popcorn into her mouth, staring intently at the movie. "Alright, now pay attention – this is an important part."

Jane smiled slightly, turning back to the film.

/

* * *

/

Hard, heavy bass filled the room as Tony leaned against his work bench, watching the cloud of despair that sat on a stool in the corner. Rock of Ages was not living up to his nickname at all. With locks like those, Tony was sure Loki would turn out to be a heavy metal guy. He was wrong.

"Not feeling this one?" Tony called.

Loki lifted his head and, after a moment, gave a half shrug. "It is… different from what I have heard on Asgard."

Tony nodded. Alright. He was listening. He wasn't expressing too much interest, but he was listening. That littler jerk monger better like the next one. "What is your favorite band so far?"

Loki knitted his brow in thought for a moment before answering, "The first one. AC/DC."

"Wrong answer," Tony said immediately. Then he frowned. "That was… actually a decent answer, but still wrong. The correct answer is Black Sabbath."

Loki shook his head. "That was the second one and no, I did not like that one."

"You're remembering wrong. That one, War Pigs, is a classic."

"It was unpleasant."

"Unpleasant," Tony scoffed. "Unpleasant. The rock legends of our time are 'unpleasant'."

"Yes, the noise you call music is grating on the ears."

Tony narrowed his eyes at him, his glare being returned. "Alright, _Ringo_ ," he said as he picked up his remote and pressed a button. "Hold on to your socks because this one is about to rock them clean off."

A scratchy noise filtered through the air loudly, making Loki cringe. The teenager stared in confusion at Tony until his confusion turned into mild annoyance at the first few lyrics of the song. Tony only grinned.

_"_ _I… am… Iron Man."_

/

* * *

/

Jane did not remember ordering a wakeup call. But, at 5:34 a.m., a good half an hour earlier than her alarm, she awoke to something pumping through her walls. Groggily, she dragged herself from bed and stamped downstairs to find out what the racket was, only to stop in the doorway of the kitchen in surprise.

Steve and Bruce were seated at the table; Tony stood, leaning against the counter; Natasha, Clint and Thor were nowhere to be seen – a normal morning. Loki was not a normal morning. Loki was sitting at the table. _Loki_ was sitting at the table. Across from Steve, no less! And was that-? It was! Cereal! And he was eating it!

"Jane, close your mouth," Tony mumbled, looking up from his plate of pancakes and bacon. "You're catching flies."

She snapped her mouth shut, shuffled over to the cupboards, grabbed a bowl and fixed herself some cereal before stopping dead in her tracks in sudden realization. Steve sat next to Bruce, leaving the only empty seat… next to Loki. This was her chance. Don't blow it. She slid into the seat as casually as possible, placing her bowl in front of her. Steve greeted her warmly, Bruce following with a brief nod. Loki remained quiet.

Jane glanced at him sideways, still mystified he was there. Then she noticed Tony's stare. She jumped slightly. Was he looking at her? No, wait. She followed his gaze and realized it was pinpointed directly on Loki. She glanced at the boy again. He was eating Frosted Flakes, but nothing potentially life-threatening was evident in his mannerisms. Why was Tony staring at him so hard?

"Tony," Bruce spoke up, looking over at the man. "Why are you playing Black Sabbath?"

Jane realized the noise that woke her up was clearer and was, in fact, music. The song was familiar.

Tony didn't look at him. His eyes were glued on the black-haired teenager. "Life," he said. "Life is why."

Loki lifted his head, met Tony's gaze and stated plainly, "AC/DC." He tilted his head, a smirk lifting his lips, before returning to his cereal, leaving the man glaring at the top of his head.

Steve and Bruce exchanged a look. Neither knew what was going on. "Did Loki just say, AC/DC?" Steve muttered to Bruce.

He did, Jane noted. When did Loki get in touch with Midgard's music? Then she remembered. Last night. Tony had wanted to introduce him to Black Sabbath. Obviously, there was a disagreement down the line. And Natasha had more or less made her watch that movie, not to say Jane didn't have fun. It was nice watching movies with her. It felt almost friendly. Jane wondered if the two of them could be friends, but decided those were thoughts for later. She was still working on a friendship – acquaintanceship – between a particular individual. One friendship at a time.

"You like AC/DC?" Jane tried, turning her head towards Loki.

He swallowed his bite of cereal before glancing at her. "Scantly. I enjoyed some of what Stark showed me. It was more preferable than others."

"That's Papa Stark to you," Tony chided, placing his finished plate in the sink and reaching for a cup of coffee, eyes still boring into the boy's head. "And you're wrong."

Loki didn't dignify him with an answer, instead standing up and putting his bowl and spoon into the sink, meeting Tony's glare before taking to the stairs.

Jane mentally sighed. And like that, her chance to talk to him was gone. She began eating her cereal, not too focused on the taste as her thoughts were preoccupied with how she'd convince Loki to attend classes.

"What is it with the music?" Bruce asked Tony, turning to him expectantly.

"I'm getting that brat to appreciate the classics," Tony responded as way of answer, finished off his cup of coffee with a final gulp and placed it along with the other dirtied dishes before heading out of the kitchen, presumably to his lab, leaving Steve, Bruce and Jane alone.

 _This was awkward_ , Jane thought with a cringe. She was never alone with either man before and now she was alone with both of them. She finished her cereal quietly, thinking of ways to start a conversation, but decided against each one and bided her time. Then she had an idea. "Bruce," she addressed the scientist, prompting him to look up from his toast and orange juice. "As you know, I am researching the Cube, and it occurred to me that, being that you have come into contact with it personally, you would have an opinion on it."

"If you're asking if I have any idea why you're a teenager, I'm sorry to tell you, I have no clue." He shrugged, smiling apologetically.

"Well, no, not just that," Although that was disappointing. "Just a general opinion. What are your thoughts on it?"

He had to know something on the matter. He had been in contact with the Cube before her and must have had some extent of knowledge on it.

Unfortunately – and admittedly, disappointedly – he only told her what she already had a fair grasp on. She sighed, "Thanks anyway, Bruce."

"If I think of anything, I'll let you know," he added as he stood up, cleared his dishes and left.

Now there was only Steve and her. He attempted to make polite conversation, asking her about her research on the Cube, how far she has come with it, but that only went on for so long. Eventually, they settled into a somewhat tense, but polite silence as they finished their breakfast. As she sat there, she caught herself glancing at the Avenger several times. A realization dawned upon her. She really hadn't talked much at all with him. While spending her time at the mansion, she usually spoke to Tony and Thor; Natasha on occasion. The others she rarely glimpsed. What did she even know Steve Rogers? She could scrape together the facts now, but she knew Tony told her something about him. This didn't faze her too much, seeing how becoming everyone's acquaintance wasn't of immediate importance. She could do that later. What she needed to focus on was keeping Loki out of trouble. Everything else was second.

Soon she finished her cereal and escaped back to her room, basking in the sanctuary of being alone several moments before she got down to business. She glanced at her clock. 5:55 am. School didn't start for another hour. Plenty of time to do some thinking. There had to be a way to convince Loki to attend classes. She just didn't know how she would do it. She sighed, sitting on her bed as she gazed out her window. The sky was beginning to brighten ever slowly. What did he do when he was out, prowling on his own? That was the only word for it. Prowling. He wasn't up to any good. The whole point that she tag along on this high school thing was to keep an eye on him, but how could she do that if he was constantly evading her? He always left while she went to classes.

Jane blinked. That was it. She had an idea.

/

* * *

/

The ride to school was quiet. Loki didn't have much to say and Jane likewise. Her plan didn't involve talking anyway. It wasn't a plan, now that she thought about it. More like a hastily thrown together idea, barely being held together by paste. Nonetheless, it was a good idea. Or, at least, she hoped it was.

As soon as Loki got out of the limo, Jane followed after him, close behind. He didn't pay her much attention. They walked into the school, entering the main doorway where the hall opened up. Usually, this was when Jane would go left to her class and Loki would go wherever a Loki goes. Jane didn't go left. Jane kept close to him, trying to match his stride, but finding that his long legs made it hard to keep up, was a step or two behind. This continued for several moments before he finally started noticing her.

Loki glanced at Jane sideways. "What are you doing?"

"I'm following you," she replied simply.

He narrowed his eyes, stopping in the hallway. "Why?"

She stopped next to him. "If you're not going to classes, I have to see what you're up to."

"Spying on me, are we - Miss Froster, was it?" He smirked.

She ignored the last part. "Not spying."

"Of course not," he interjected. "Spying would require an incorporation of stealth, which you entirely lack."

"I want to see what is so important that you can't come to class."

Again, not much of a plan. Hastily thrown together idea. Anything was worth a shot. What did she have to lose?

"Where does this concern spring from?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "Are you worried for your fellow Midgardians? Don't be. I can assure you now that I've done nothing malice towards your kind," When she opened her mouth to protest, he hastened to add, "in this form."

"I don't know that if you won't let me see what you're up to."

"Shouldn't you be getting to class?" he asked testily. As if to prove his point, the bell rang and he raised his eyebrows expectantly, smirking at her.

"This is more important," she countered, not budging an inch.

"What's this?" His smirk widened. "Jane _Froster_ , skipping class? What a deviant."

"Where do you go, Lo- Lucas?" she caught herself, just remembering he had a fake name, too. It felt weird to say. She hadn't been in a situation often enough where she had to think of him as anyone else, but who he was.

He smirked more when she said his fake name. "Well, isn't this fun? Playing pretend. Shouldn't you be better spending your time on your little research project? Or are you better suited to whittling your time away in this place, wasting your energy on your primitive calculations and geometrical shapes?"

He paid attention in the class he was in, she noted, shaking her head. "You're missing the point-"

"And what is the point?" Loki's smirk slowly vanished and was replaced with something akin with rage. "What is the point in any of this? There's a fluke and we're both trapped in our adolescent bodies, forced to endure this grueling humiliation all because SHIELD doesn't want the world to find out what failures they are. How does that justify your purpose here?"

"The point," Jane interrupted, not wanting to let his words get to her. "The point is that you and I are in a situation that neither of us is enjoying."

"Making assumptions is unbecoming. I am rather enjoying my time," Loki deadpanned.

"But," she continued, ignoring his comment. "we're stuck in this together whether we like it or not. And I know it sucks and a lot of stuff is happening, but we don't have to do this alone. If you came to classes, then we could both benefit."

Loki's smirk was back and he raised his eyebrows expectantly as he asked, "And how could I benefit from this?"

"You will learn more about Midgardian culture."

"As I've explained before, I'm not interested."

"I think you just can't do it."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

"If Midgard is so beneath you, then these classes shouldn't be a problem."

"They aren't. I've already surveyed one and I could easily surpass it."

"How do I know you're not just backing out because you can't handle it?" Jane didn't know if it was working, but she sorely hoped egging him on like this would result in something. She just hoped it wouldn't be anything involving collateral damage.

Loki smirked. "And how would you benefit? You said it would be mutually beneficial. I get to show you up and you get what exactly?"

"I'd get to sit peacefully in class without having to worry about something destroying the school."

He chuckled at the last. "And I'm assuming I would have had something to do with it?"

"It's not becoming to assume."

Loki stared at her thoughtfully. "Jane, I will attend classes."

Jane sighed. "There you go again, always saying, 'no' before - _wait, what_?" she stared at him with big eyes. "What?"

"I know you are not hard of hearing, Jane Foster."

She decided not to point out that he used her real name. "I know. I'm just surprised. I mean," she muttered, not sure if she heard him right. "Are you really serious right now?"

"To get you to shut up – yes. I will go to your inferior Midgardian classes."

Jane frowned at the first comment, but relaxed at the last. This was a start. It wasn't much, but it was something and she wasn't about to lose it now. "Alright. Good."

"On one condition," he added.

Jane sighed. She should have seen this coming. "What is it?"

"Jane," he said, speaking low. "Stay away from me."


End file.
